


In Case Anyone Forgot, Coffee Gives You Energy

by Timewormbloom



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-06 07:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19057924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewormbloom/pseuds/Timewormbloom
Summary: Gilan, who has what I assume is a near invulnerability to caffeine, accidentally gives his very little kid coffee. Jenny is not too pleased, and Halt doesn’t know the meaning of age appropriate gifts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notice**

**If you are reading this on the app Fanfic Pocket, I want you to know that this fic was stolen without my consent. The app creator stole every piece of writing on the app from Ao3. If you want to read this, or anything else I wrote, please do so on my[tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/timewormbloom) or my [ao3.](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewormbloom/works)**

 

   “Please do not tell me you gave her what I think you just did.” Jenny’s scathing tone was enough to pull Gilan out of his reports to give her a confused look.

 

     She wordlessly pointed to the chair next to him, where a little girl sat enjoying her first cup of coffee, courtesy of a distracted Gilan. Despite her pointed looks, Gilan failed to see what was wrong with the situation.

 

    “It’s just some coffee?” he asked, very confused by the whole ordeal.

 

    “Yes. It’s coffee. The beverage that gives people energy. Energy that a ten-year-old does not need. Do I need to be more clear?”

 

     A spark of understanding appeared on Gilan’s face, promptly followed by a whole lot of horror and regret.

 

     “I forgot about the energy part,” he said, sheepishly, trying to appease his wife who was clutching her ladle a little too tightly for his liking.

 

     “Of course you did. Well, I have work so you can have the glorious job of watching Ally till it wears off,” she demanded curtly.

 

     “I get to spend the whole day with Dad? This is awesome!” shouted the girl in question, who had begun to vibrate noticeably with excitement. Gilan’s only response was to nod and attempt to hide in his own cup as if it would help (it didn’t).

 

     Jenny gave him a pleased look before heading downstairs to make sure everything was running smoothly for breakfast.

 

    “Hey Ally, do you want to go see Uncle Will?”

   

     The child held still for a fraction of a second, before exploding into cheers.

 

      “Yeah! Uncle Will! Can I shoot his bow this time? Please?” She shouted, giving Gilan puppy dog eyes.

 

     “We’ll see what Uncle Will says when we get there, how about that?”

* * *

 

     While Will was happy for the surprise visit, he could do without the hyperactive child attempting to do the obstacle course.

 

     “You gave her coffee, didn't you,” he said to Gilan, giving him his best rendition of Halt’s ‘are you stupid?’ look.

 

     “Maybe….” was Gilan’s only reply.

 

     “I made the same mistake with Maddie when she was about this age. Cassandra was ready to rip my head off. I’m guessing Jenny wasn’t too happy.”

 

     “No, she was not. What did you do with Maddie?”

 

     “Gave her my cloak and a toy bow called it ranger training and let her loose on some hay bales. I didn’t hear from her for hours. Though Ally seems to be doing alright on the course,” Will remarked.

 

    “How’s Maddie doing? Dealing with all those aristocrats must be rough,” Gilman idly said, watching Ally stubbornly try to climb up a rope.

 

     “Last I heard she threw one of the out a window. Good girl, and fantastic technique I might add,” a gruff voice added behind him. Will and Gilan have been warned of his arrival several minutes ago by their horses, but Ally was still shocked.

 

      “Grandpa Halt! You’re here too! This is the best!” Ally screamed, abandoning her attempts at the rope to fling herself at Halt. His quiet grumbling about the title was ignored by everyone. Despite that, he still affectionately ruffled her hair and knelt down to her level.

 

    “Hey there, I got something special for you,” he whispered. Ally’s eyes widened comically and she gasped. “Now, close your eyes and hold out your hands.” She nodded, looking remarkably like a bobblehead and held her hands out. Halt placed a small bundle of leather straps with a pouch in her hands. A slingshot. “Open them.”

   

     The delighted screech that erupted from Ally’s mouth could be heard for almost a mile. Or at least it felt like that.

 

     “My own slingshot! Thank you, thank you Grandpa Halt!” she threw her hands around his neck before sprinting off.

 

     “Forgetting something?” Halt called after her, holding up a small bag of lead balls. She scrambled to turn around and raced back to grab the bag. She ran off the targets that had been set up for Maddie when she was still Will’s apprentice.

 

     The three men sat comfortably for another three hours, watching Ally fire off shot after shot. She had been taught how to shoot by Cassandra and Maddie, but had never had her own slingshot. Well until now.

 

     Eventually, she wandered over to where her family was and curled up against Gilan’s side.

 

    “Ready to go?” Gilan asked, ready for this whole ordeal to be done with. Ally sleepily nodded and nuzzled closer. At that moment, Gilan noticed a new problem. Ally was covered in mud from the obstacle course, sweat, and leaves from chasing after runaway shots. He groaned and stared up at the sky.

 

    “Jenny is going to kill me. Say your goodbyes now, my executive brain functions are about to be destroyed with her ladle,” he moaned.

 

    Halt just laughed, and Will gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder while laughing.

     

     

 

    

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She has grown!

         Rangers were an odd mix of isolated and curious (nosy). Combine that with Gilan taking every opportunity to talk about his daughter, Ally was a very well known figure among Rangers. It had become something of a tradition to stop by whenever they were riding through and weren’t in a hurry. Many Rangers had seen first hand how much damage the five foot embodiment of chaos could wreck. So when she turned fifteen people just assumed she would become an official apprentice. 

 

     Now Gilan was very aware of this, and he had to agree. Ally would make a perfect Ranger, and they had a few people expected to retire in the next few years so it was the perfect time to take on some new apprentices. The only problem, however, was that Gilan wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic with Jenny. Halt just told him to suck it up and ask her, as if he wouldn’t jump out a window everytime Lady Pauline was even slightly mad at him. He broke a lot of windows. 

 

     However, since this was Gilan facing the potential wrath of his wife instead of any of them; Halt, Will, and Maddie had no qualms about throwing him into the figurative lion’s den. 

    “Maddie!” Ally shouted, carefully setting the recurve bow down and running to hug her pseudo-cousin. Maddie returned the hug, noting the numerous blades she was carrying. “What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be back at the castle?” she asked, curious but more than happy for the surprise visit. 

 

    “Since when has me having to be somewhere stopped me from being somewhere else?” Maddie retorted, causing Ally to burst out in laughter. “Besides, there’s something very important I need to ask you,” Maddie told her, trying to put on a serious face but ended up looking a bit constipated. 

     “Alright. This is happening. I’m going to ask her, and she isn’t going to kill me,” Gilan said calmingly to himself. It was a rather effective strategy, but Halt and Will cackling in the background ruined the effect. He sent them a glare, and they at least  pretended to stop. “I am walking in now. If this is a bad idea, now's the time to stop me,” he weakly told them. Halt rolled his eyes while Will opened the door to the house. Halt grabbed his shoulders and started pushing him forwards. 

 

     “Don’t bother trying to get out of it. Jenny already knows you two need to talk about something,” Halt smugly told him, giving him a final push. 

 

     Gilan gave Jenny his best ‘please don’t kill me for whatever I’m about to say’ smile. She gave him her best ‘you have thirty seconds to tell me whatever is you did’ look. 

 

     “So you know Ally?” 

 

     “Considering she’s my daughter, I’ll have to say yes.”

 

      “Er.. yes that too. But more specifically how talented she is. At every thing Ranger related.”

 

     “Oh is this about her apprenticeship? I was wondering about that too. Do you have an idea of who she’ll be with?” 

 

     Gilan did nothing but stare at her in confusion. 

 

      “You knew we wanted to make her a Ranger?”

 

      “Gilan, I’ve seen how she looks when you tell her stories. I don’t think I could stop her if I tried. Besides Halt told me about that days ago. Now what did you do.”

 

      “Nothing I swear!” Jenny raised her eyebrow at that, but seemed to accept it. She turned around to finish icing the cake she had somehow been working on while instilling fear of death in Gilan, who took it has his cue to leave. Which he did, already planning on how he would get revenge on Halt (he wouldn’t, but he could dream). 

      

      In typical fashion, Maddie and Ally’s friendly conversation had evolved into a slingshot competition. A friendly competition, which happened to involve deadly projectiles. 

 

      Of course, Gilan now has to deal with the dozen Rangers that wanted to mentor Ally. He was considering a raffle at the next Gathering. That way no one could be mad at him, and he would be free to spend the next couple years in bed with a cup or gallon or gallon of coffee. 


End file.
